SPACE WALK

   I  think  that  there isn't anybody
who  reads  SC  and  who  didn't  read
Clarke's  '2001:   Space   odyssey' or
seen  the movie (if you didn't then do
it).   Remember  the part where Bowman
had  to  leap through the space to get
onto  the  ship  with  only his normal
clothes  on?   Well, have you wandered
what  would really happen if in such a
situation?   I  have,  and  recently I
found out, so I'll share it with you.

   Ok.  You  step into the void of the
space  vacuum,  without any protective
clothes  on,  and...  Woosh!  Air from
your  lungs would be sucked out almost
instantly and the blood would lose the
oxygen.   In  a matter  of seconds you
would be unconscious and dead.  Voila!
Sorry  Arthur,  old  buddy,  but  your
scenario is impossible.  But, the body
would  not simply explode, contrary to
my   belief.    I   thought  that  the
internal  pressure would just make you
go  'pop',  but it looks like the skin
is  much more stronger than I thought.
After  the death had came, body fluids
would   slowly   start   to  vaporate,
causing  blisters  all  over the body.
Some   blood  wessels  would  explode,
causing  bruises.  It would take a few
days  for  the  body  to  lose all the
fluids,  and after that you would look
as  an  ordinary  mummy.   But, if you
choose  the  place of your little walk
somewhere  beyond  the  orbit  of  the
asteroid  belt, you wouldn't turn into
a mummy, but into a ice block instead.
   There  isn't  a possibility that an
astronaut  finds  himself  in  a space
unprotected,   unless   there   is  an
naughty  computer  around  (BTW:  have
you   noticed  what  you  get  if  you
increase  letters  of name HAL by one?
Shame  on  you, Arthur!), but it could
happen  that he has a puncture or that
his  helmet  breaks.   In such case he
would  die  very quickly also, because
the  oxygen  supply  in the siut would
last  only  about  a minute.  In 1971.
three  soviet atronauts died under the
lack  of oxygene (hipoxy) when a valve
on  their  'Sojuz-11'  failed and just
let  the  air  into the space.  And as
the  landing  procedure was automatic,
the  Earth  control didn't find it out
until they arrived.
   But  even  worse death in the space
is of radiation.  The Earth's magnetic
field  and  the  atmosphere protect us
from  the  Sun's  radiation  which can
measure up to 10 greys (a 'safe' level
of radiation in the period of 30 years
is 50 miligreys).  A person exposed to
such      radiation     could     live
approximately  4 to 6 days, and during
that  period  would  suffer   enormous
pain, throwing up and diarhoea.
   If you ask me, I would watch where
I take my walking...


           DR.J/PLS